At the start of February 2026, Congress passed (and the president signed) a federal budget that includes $15 million for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP) in Fiscal Year 2026.
After seeing KCRP funding cut to $0 in FY25, this appropriation is important. It puts kidney cancer research back on the map within CDMRP and signals that sustained advocacy makes a difference. For that, we are celebrating!
At the same time, it’s important to be clear-eyed: $15 million is only a partial restoration. KCRP was funded at $50 million in FY23 and FY24, levels that better reflected both the burden of kidney cancer and the promise of research underway. This moment is a win, but it is not the finish line.
In March 2025, the kidney cancer community was hit hard when the FY25 federal budget eliminated funding for KCRP entirely. Years of progress, and years of researcher momentum, were suddenly at risk.
KidneyCAN responded immediately. Drawing on our long-standing advocacy infrastructure and relationships on Capitol Hill, we mobilized our community and helped lead a unified response with one clear message to Congress: kidney cancer research cannot be left behind.
What followed was not a single campaign or moment, but sustained, daily advocacy. This is the kind of behind-the-scenes work that rarely makes headlines but ultimately drives change.
Since our founding, KidneyCAN has helped build one of the most consistent kidney cancer advocacy efforts in Washington. From 2018 through September 2025, we organized:
That foundation set the stage for our #RestoreTheResearch campaign in 2025.
Throughout the year, KidneyCAN advocates were consistently engaged in grassroots advocacy to keep the pressure on Congress. Our community, along with a strong network of partner organizations:
Our Restore the Research activity log documents this work in real time—from Hill meetings and briefings to follow-ups, coalition coordination, and behind-the-scenes conversations that keep kidney cancer on lawmakers’ radar. This sustained effort is where progress is built, step by step.
In 2025 alone, our community delivered a powerful, coordinated presence on Capitol Hill.
When patients, caregivers, researchers, and clinicians speak together, Congress hears a clear and credible case for investment.
Restoring $15 million for KCRP in FY26 shows that advocacy works. We’re proud of our community and how we continued showing up long after the news cycle moved on.
But kidney cancer remains historically underfunded relative to its incidence, mortality, and complexity.
A partial restoration does not replace the research momentum lost during a year at zero—and it does not yet reflect the level of investment patients deserve.
This is why KidneyCAN’s message to Congress remains steady and unified: keep going.
This moment calls for both gratitude and resolve. We are deeply thankful to every advocate who shared their story, joined a meeting, sent an email, or helped amplify our message. This progress belongs to you.
Now, we build on it.
Your voice is essential as we continue pushing for full, sustained funding for kidney cancer research. Together, we will keep the pressure on—and keep kidney cancer research moving forward.
KidneyCAN will continue to document this work and lead the charge alongside our community until kidney cancer research receives the support it urgently needs.
